Display card



March 13, 1956 J. E. ROTH 2,738,051

DISPLAY CARD Filed Nov. 5, 1951 ig 1 J0 IN V EN TOR. James E R0 2% Unite DISPLAY CARD James E. Roth, Eimhnrst, 111., assignor to William Roberts Company, Inc., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois The present invention relates to display cards for holding and attractively displaying an article for advertising and sale purposes.

Various display cards are presently in public use and the article to be held and displayed thereby is secured thereto by staples or like attachments or by being passed through holes formed in spaced tabs die cut from the material of the card.

The present invention is directed to die-cut display cards and particularly to a novel card having improved display characteristics and providing an improved tab arrangement which facilitates the mounting of an article on the card and securely holds the article to the card.

In present die-cut display cards, two apertured U-shaped cuts are provided in the card so that two tabs may be folded out of the plane of the card. The tabs are normally spaced apart a distance slightly less than the length of the article to be received thereby, so that the end portions of the article are engaged by the tabs. In mounting the article on the card, the person doing the work must first slide the article through the hole in one tab and thereafter slide the article through the hole in the other tab. When the article is mounted on the card, relatively large areas of the article are covered by the tabs and the article is spaced from the plane of the card so that the advertising matter is not entirely effective.

An object of the present invention is to provide a die cut display card having the advantage that: the article can be mounted on the card in a single, simple operation;

the article is supported Within the material and mean plane of the card for attractive and effective display; a minimum portion of the article is covered by the card; the article is firmly gripped by the card to prevent accidental displacement; the card can be formed in a single operation; and a single card may be used for mounting any one of a plurality of articles.

Another object of the invention is to provide a display card of economical manufacture providing an improved article holding arrangement to facilitate the ready and economical mounting of articles on the cards.

A further object of the invention is to provide a display card with a single tab for gripping and holding an article near the mid-point thereof so that substantially the whole of the article may be viewed by a prospective purchaser. A still further object is to providea display card characterized by a pointer or arrow-head formed from the material of the card pointing to the article held thereby. These and other objects of the invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, wherein reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a display card having a novel die-cut and score, prior to folding the cut portions or tab out of the plane of the card;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the display card with the cut portion or tab folded up out of the plane of the card;

2,738,961 Patented Mar. 13, 1956 ice Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevation, taken from thelower edge of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the display card with a cylindrical object mounted thereon, the object or article being shown in dot-dash lines;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary plan view of a display card having a modified die-cut and score;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary plan of a display card having another die-cut, but no score;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary plan view of a display card having a further die-cut and score; and

Figure 8 is a fragmentary plan view of a display card having a still further die-cut and showing the invention in its simplest form. 7

Referring particularly to Figure 1 of the drawing, a card 10 of any desired shape or configuration is provided in a single cutting and scoring operation, with a score and out together, indicated generally by the numeral 12. The score and cut 12 includes a V 13 formed by a pair of light score lines 14 and 16 extending outwardly for a short distance from the apex or junction of the legs of the V and a pair of cuts or cut-lines 18 and 20 extending outwardly from the scored lines 14 and 16, respectively. The cuts 18 and 20 terminate within the margins of the card 10. At the point of juncture between the score 14 and cut 18 and between the score 16 and the cut 20, cuts 22 and 24, respectively, are provided. Cuts 22 and 24 therefore join the cut lines 18 and 20, respectively at their closer or inner ends. While cuts 22 and 24 are shown as parallel to a line bisecting the V, they could be made non-parallel and extend in the general direction of the apex and beyond it at angles of less rapid convergence than the cut-lines 18 and 20, in order to encompass the apex of the V. Inwardly inclined cuts 26 and 28 respectively, meet the lower ends of the cuts 22 and 24 and are joined together by a cut 30 to form tab 32 within the material of the card 10. While it would be less desirable, since the resilience of the card would be reduced, it would be possible to have cut-lines 22 and 24 intersect the lower edge of the card. Or inclined cuts 26 and 23 could do so.

At its mid-point, the tab 32 is provided with a cut 34 extending from the free extremity of the tab at the cut 30, to the apex of the V 13 as defined by the score lines 14 and 16, to divide the tab 32 centrally into divided portions 36 and 38. Each portion 36 and 38 is provided with a single aperture 40 and 42, respectively, for the reception of an article to be mounted on the card 10. If the object to be displayed were needle-like, it would be possible to dispense with apertures 40 and 42.

In mounting the article on the card, the operator, or machine, as the case may be, engages the holes 40 and 42 in the tab 32, or the side margins or edges of said tab, and simultaneously lifts the tab 32 and V 13 out of the plane of the card 10 and squeezes the divided portions 36 and 38 of the tab 32 toward one another to bend same along the score lines 14 and 16 and to arch the tab along the cut 34 to bring the holes 40 and 42 into alignment, to the extent shown in Figures 2 and 3. The article is then readily mounted on the card by sliding the article through the holes 40 and 42. When the operator releases the portions 36 and 38, said portions seek to attain a horizontal plane so that same firmly grip the article and at the same time the V 13 seeks to return to the plane of the card 10 and, accordingly, presses the article against the card to firmly hold same to the card.

When the article is mounted on the card, as is shown in Figure 4, the V 13 forms a pointer, or arrow-head, pointing to the article, and the card, therefore, points to and draws attention to the article displayed thereby. By making the V 13 of a difierent color than the remainder of 3 the card, this effect. isevenmorepronounced. Advertising material is very readily printed on various portions of the card, including the V 13, to point out the features of the article displayed, to state the sale price thereof, etc.

In Figure 5, there is shown a card: having a modified score and cut portion. The cuts: and scores of the. Figure 5 modification which: are similar to, or identical to, the cuts and scores in the Figure l embodiment of the invention, have been indicated by the same. referencenumeral with the sufiix a. One differencebetween the: two modifications is that the modification of Figure S elirninates the inclined cuts 26 and 28 and the horizontal cut 30' and substitutes therefor a curved; cut 302:. Inthis manner the tab 32a is more inthe form ofa semi-circle than in the: polygonal form of Figures 1-4. In Figure 5, the vertical cut 34 of Figures 1-4 is dispensed with and a light score 34a may be substituted if desired, but is not essential tothe formation of the tab for holding the article. A cut 34 or score 34a may be utilized as desired, or no guide or marking at all may be'provided The V-formation of Figure 5 is not uniform, the cuts 18a and 20a being inclined with respect tothe score lines 14a and 16a. Thisresults, in the completed display card, in an irregular arrow-head or pointer,-pointing to the article and may be eflectively' used according to various advertising layouts as desired. While the cuts 18a and 20a have been shown in Figure 5 as having'a greater inclination than the score lines 1411 and 16a, it is clear that the same lines could have a greater inclination than the cuts.

The card is adapted to hold articles of any cross-sectional configuration. In Figure 1 I'have shown circular holes 40 and 42 and inFigure 5 I have shown a rectangular' hole 40a and an octagonal hole 42a; The holes may be given any desired configuration. If the article to be held and displayed by' the card. i'stapered, or is provided with portions of different diameters, diflerentsized and/or shaped holes may be provided as shown in Figure 5, wherein the hole 42a is considerably larger than the hole 40a. The display card of the present invention is particularly adapted for holding articles such as pencils, pens, lipsticks, paint brushes and the like.

In view of the formation of the die-cut, the articles are readily mounted on the card by a simple operation that is eliected in substantially a single step. Such construction avoids the tedious and time consuming operations of first. sliding the article through the hole in. one tab and then sliding the article through the hole in a second spaced tab, as wasrequired in prior display cards.

In-Figure 6, a further modification of the. present invention is shown, in which the score lines for forming the V-or arrow-head havebeen omitted. The cuts and apertures of the Figure 6 modification, that are similar to cuts of the previously described embodiments, have been indicated by the same reference numerals with the suffix b. When the articles are to be mounted on the cards by machine, or by experienced operators, it may be possible to dispense with the score lines, particularly if the stock of the card is relatively light. The operator, by grasping the side edges of the tab 32b adjacent the apertures or holes 4llb'and 42b therein and pressing the sides of the tab toward one, another, will tend to effect a bending and folding, or arching of the tabv along alincmedially of the two apertures, which line has been previously indicated by the cut 34. or score 34a, and. along linesconstituting, continuations of the cuts. 18b and 2%- (which lines have been heretofore indicated by the scores 14 and- 16 and 14a and 16a) with the. three fold lines tending to join at the point indicated by the ,X in Figure 6. There is no guarantee, however, that. the tab will fold exactly as. stated and, therefore, it is preferred that the score lines 14, 16,, and cut 34, or scoreEMa,v beprovided.

In Figure 7,. a. further modification of. the invention shown, in which the tab is merely in the shape of a recscore lines 140, 16c and 34c, similar tothat provided in the Figure 5' embodiment. An aperture is provided on either side of the vertical leg 340 of the Y-shaped score. When the tab 320 is moved out of the-plane of the card 100 and compressive force is exerted on the side edges of the tab adjacent the apertures, the tab will fold, at its free extremity, into the general configuration shown in Figures 2 and 3. When the free extremity of the tab has been thus formed, the aperture 40c and 420 are aligned suificient'ly for the reception of an article to be mounted on the card, and the upper portion of thetab, because of the-inclined score lines 140 and- 16c, forms a pointer directing the viewers attention to the article displayed.

In Figures 5-8, the apertures are located beyond the apex of the V (junction of the fold lines in the tab), that is to say, closer to the free extremity-of the tab, whereas in Figures 1-4, the apertures are shown on either side of the apex.

The invention is shown in its simplest form in FigureS,

in which the tab 320 isrectangular in form and is defined by a generally U-shaped cut 30c. Apertures 40c and 42c are provided on opposite sides of the central axisof the tab, adjacent the free extremity thereof. When compressi-ve forceiscorrectly applied to the side edges of the tab, adjacent the apertures, the tab willtend to fold in the. same manner asdoes the tab of theFigure 7 embodiment. In folding the tab of the Figure 8 embodiment of the invention, it is advantageous, but not absolutely essential, to grasp the upper portion of the'tab to prevent bending or-distortion of this portion of'thetab free extremity of the tab is being folded.

Thev tab-may be. formed in additional manners, includ'- ing the inclining of the cuts 18 and 20 in the opposite direction from those shown in Figure 1 (without, how-- ever, permitting them to intersect), so that a diamond shape isformed for indicating the article by folding the freeextremity-of the tab. I I r The upper portion of the tab, that part forming the pointer or V, serves to prevent distortion of the main por tion of theflcard- 10 despite the distortion of the free ex tremity'of the tab. t r

' According tothe present invention, the objector article held. by the. card is grasped atonly one location so as to provide for maximum display of both ends of the article Due to the fact thatvarious portions of the tab and V seek to attain certain normal planar positions, the article is firmly grasped by the card and provides rigidity of mounting to prevent unauthorized or accidental displace-- ment of thearticle and thecard.

Sincethe article displayed by the card is rigid-lygrasped by the card, and. brought into engagement with the main body of the card by the portions of the card folded out" from-the main body, the paper or cardboard from which thezcard. is formed need not beas thick or as rigid in and of itself as were prior'display cards. This factor decreases the cost. of production 'of the display card and results in at. moreeconomical and readily usable display card. 1 I a i i The card maybeprinted with advertising matter either before or after the cutting and scoring operation, An advantageous and. economical procedure. would be to first form andcut a card having a basic size readily adapted to-display any one-of ,a. plurality of objects, such :as' pens, pencils, toothbrushes and the like. The basic cards could. thereafter, be printed to properly advertise, a selected article. By mass producing the display cards for a pluwhile the V rality of objects, the production costs and ultimate cost to the user are reduced.

In many instances, it is desirable to display a plurality of objects on a single card, whether the objects be all of the same kind, or of various kinds, shapes, and sizes.'

Where such advertising and display is desirable, a large card may be provided with several die-cuts and scores according to the present invention for readily mounting and displaying the various articles, or the tab, below the apex of the V may be made longer to accommodate additional pairs of apertures.

While I have described preferred embodiments of my invention, it is clear that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the scope and intent of my invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited to the exact details of the foregoing description, but is rather defined by the appended claim.

I claim:

A display package comprising a card having a die-cut and score therein, said die-cut and score being characterized by a V formed by score lines adjacent the apex of the V and cuts extending outwardly from the score lines, and a tab formed by cuts joined with the inner ends of the cuts forming the V and extending in the general direction of and beyond the apex of the V, the tab being provided with an aperture on either side of the central axis of the tab adjacent the free extremity of the tab, the tab and V extending as an integral unit out of the plane of the card, the tab being folded with respect to the V and toward the card along the score lines of the V and along its central axis to bring the apertures into alignment, an elongated article extending through said apertures transversely of the central axis of said tab, said tab tending to lie in the plane of said card, whereby said article extending through said apertures is gripped by said tab and held against the surface of said card.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Wright Oct. 17, 1911 1,332,695 Stranders Mar. 2, 1920 1,477,241 Carson Dec. 11, 1923 1,687,136 Myers Oct. 9, 1928 1,687,137 Myers Oct. 9, 1928 1,832,318 -Myers Nov. 19, 1931 2,067,998 Williamson Jan. 19, 1937 2,112,339 Kasparek Mar. 29, 1938 2,122,289 Legendre June 28, 1938 2,159,679 Snelling May 23, 1939 2,219,183 Hartnett et a1. Oct. 22, 1940 2,259,772 Owens Oct. 21, 1941 2,363,761 Ward Nov. 28, 1944 2,401,615 Chittum June 4, 1946 2,574,201 Teller Nov. 6, 1951 2,656,917 Hollis Oct. 27, 1953 

